Most of the pesticides in use today are expensive toxic chemicals that must be carefully applied and frequently monitored in order to insure that their toxic residues do not get into the food chain or otherwise harm either humans, animals or the environment. My discovery provides substantial benefits over the toxic chemicals that have heretofore been used in that the use of the alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanols of the present invention are not injurious to plants, do not disturb the biological balance and do not possess the undesirable pollution aspects inherent in the use of so many known pesticides.